Dr. David Shulman, MD (CCFP, FCFP, DAAPM), a CRPS/RSD Chronic Pain Specialist, from Toronto's Rothbart Pain Clinic, will cycle from Marathon, Ontario, to St. John's, Newfoundland, to raise awareness and funding on behalf of Promoting Awareness of CRPS/RSD.

The RIDE for CRPS/RSD will kick off on Saturday, July 19th, will wrap up in St. John's, NFLD, 21 days later, and will cover 5 provinces, with Dr. Shulman having cycled 3, 750 km.

Interested members of Cycling Clubs along the route are welcomed by Dr. Shulman to join him as he passes through your community. Having local Clubs join him for a small part of the distance, would be greatly appreciated.

This RIDE will be tracked, beginning in July, on the website www.rsdcanada.org , click on RIDE, to know where and when to join him.

If you or your Club is willing to participate, in meeting and cycling along with him, for short intervals along this route, please assist in the following ways:

b.) In order for us to forward Press Releases to newspapers along the RIDE route, your help in providing the names of your local newspapers and their contact information would be invaluable. In addition, any help with radio stations would be an advantage to us.

For promotional purposes for your Clubs, we believe that Dr. Shulman would gladly wear your cycling jersey, if one would be provided, by your Club, should you wish. We anticipate Press Releases and publicity along this route with local newspapers and other media. If you have any other ideas, on how to make this RIDE a richer experience, we welcome your suggestions.

Press release

Pain Specialist To Cycle From Ontario To Newfoundland To Raise Funds For CRPS Research

Dr. David L. Shulman, a chronic pain specialist at Toronto's Rothbart Pain Clinic, will cycle from Marathon, ON to St. John's Nfld. in July to raise awareness of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and money for its research.

The Ride for CRPS will kick off Saturday, July 19 and wrap up in St. John's 21 days later, with Shulman having cycled 3,750 km. Shulman, who treats a number of people with CRPS in his busy practice, hopes this ride will raise awareness of a disease that Ã¢â‚¬Å¾is a bit of a mysteryÃ¢â‚¬Â° and funds into research of better treatment options.

Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Those with CRPS are perhaps the most challenging of my patients and the most distressed,Ã¢â‚¬Â° he says.

CRPS is an organic disease caused by nerve damage in the small C fibres of the body. It usually results from trauma but not always.

Shulman says, Ã¢â‚¬Å¾It's a severely disabling condition marked by a sharp, burning pain that surpasses almost any other chronic pain condition in its intensity.Ã¢â‚¬Â° On the McGill Pain Index, CRPS rated 42 out of 50 compared to 28 for cancer pain.

Shulman has designated PARC (Promoting Awareness of RSD and CRPS in Canada) and the McGill Centre for Research on Pain as the beneficiaries of his Ride to Conquer CRPS. PARC is a registered charity, which advocates for people with CRPS through a help line, bi-annual seminars, a quarterly newsletter, and soon-through funds raised from the Ride to Conquer CRPS-Doctor Education.

Helen Small, PARC's Executive Director, says,Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Money raised will not benefit P.A.R.C. per se, but people with CRPS through a Doctor Education Program. Doctors will be able to recognize, diagnose and treat patients with CRPS better. We already have the specialists lined up to provide the training; all we need now is the funding.Ã¢â‚¬Â°

Early diagnosis is the key to fighting CRPS before it has a chance to wreak havoc on the nerves. The success rate is highest if diagnosed and treated in the first three months. After six months, the chances of success drop precipitously. Unfortunately, only about 30 per cent are diagnosed in those crucial first three months due to a lack of medical education. The PARC survey in 2006 also found 1 in 2 or nearly 50 per cent are not diagnosed early. Further, 2 in 3 or 66.08 per cent saw three or more doctors before being correctly diagnosed.

Doctor education is only half the battle, Small says. Research, such as that being done by Dr. Gary Bennett, PhD, Canada Senior Research Chair, Department of Anesthesia, McGill Centre for Research on Pain, and his team is equally important. One of the frustrations for Shulman and CRPS patients is that no cure currently exists. Bennett, who is organizing a conference in which Shulman will participate on July 28 at the Montreal General Hospital, says research is expensive and welcomes any funds raised through the Ride to Conquer CRPS.

Ã¢â‚¬Å¾CRPS research will lead to better treatment and a cure. Any McGill research that leads to better treatments for CRPS will benefit Canadians first,Ã¢â‚¬Â° Small says.

At the end of Shulman's second week, he will meet up with Dr. Harry Pollett, Medical Director at Pollett Pain Services in North Sydney, NS. Pollett also serves as PARC's Medical Advisor. From North Sydney, Shulman will ferry across to Port aux Basques and onto St. John's. A reception is being planned to wrap up the Ride to Conquer CRPS on August 8.